Same Differences
by Lost In The Lies
Summary: When you haven't seen somebody for years, there are differences to be seen. What would it be like if that person was your clone? - One-shot


I knew I could easily break out and they wouldn't know a thing. I just couldn't do that though. Maybe it was because others were in the jail cell with me and I didn't want them to know? At least, that's what I tried to convince myself.

So when they asked who I wanted them to contact, (I being only 16, a minor) a parent or guardian, maybe a social worker there having been no record of me, I only replied with two words.

"Danny Fenton."

They all thought me crazy. Everybody knew Danny Phantom was also a human boy Danny Fenton. They did as I asked though, and as soon as they mention the only name I gave them when asked, Danielle, he said he was on his way.

I hadn't seen him since he saved the world, and then it had only been in passing. The last time we had talked had been when I had almost died (or melted would be the better term). At 18 he looked much different.

When they brought him to me, (him being who he was, they of course did as he requested) he looked at me with much disappointment. When told the reason I was behind bars was for stealing – from a grocery store no less – sadness shone clearly in his eyes, along with guilt. I had to look away.

"Dani," He said, trying to get me to look back, something I refused to do. With a sigh he went to bail me out. Once he left the others in the cell with me asked me how I knew Danny Phantom, a question I refused to answer.

Once bailed out I was brought out to the front, where I spotted Danny still looking at me, the same sadness and guilt in his eyes, along with deep confusion. I couldn't handle it.

"Thanks," I stated stiffly before turning to leave. He caught my arm before I even reached the door. I never expected to make it.

"Why?" Was all he simply said. I just continued to look at him as though I didn't understand what he meant by it though I did. "Why didn't you come to me when you needed help? Or go home?" By home I knew he meant the Ghost Zone, and that's what finally set me off. I no longer cared if others heard the truth about me.

"Home? I have no home!" I spat at him, the anger boiling inside me. The look of confusion on his face could be clearly understood, and when he went to speak I cut him off. "They kicked me out of the Ghost Zone. In one of the one's I didn't know, too, so I wasn't even sure if I was in my own time when they did it!"

A shocked silence followed my outburst. The police were shocked by what I had said, of being kicked out of the Ghost Zone, stating I was a Ghost, or seeing I was human then, half ghost. Danny was shocked by, "Can they even do that? Kick you out?"

Of all things to say.

"After the 'Disasteriod' things were pretty quiet on this end with the ghosts for a while, eh?" All he gave was a nod in response. "It had nothing to do with respect. Walker had basically ever ghost locked up in his jail, including me. They had to make it bigger to fit us all. He didn't really have real reason for all of us, just made one up. The one for me? You."

"Wouldn't that just make it easier for them all to escape?" He was clearly trying to grip onto how my story got me kicked out of the Ghost Zone. The look on his face showed that he was clearly guilty for it all, and I knew it was my fault for making him feel so, but I couldn't stop.

"Walker figured that too and maybe that was his whole purpose. He made a deal. He said he'd let everybody – every single ghost locked in his jail – go, if they helped him do something. If they kicked me out of the Ghost Zone and never let me back in, he'd let them go. So they did. I guess Walker figured I'd go to you, and, well," The rest was obvious. Danny would go to Walker angry, probably what he wanted to do right now.

"Why didn't you come to me Dani?" He asked, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out that I jerked away from. "We're family.

That set the tears over. They washed down my face, and I didn't care that Danny was watching, or the mostly forgotten policemen who were enthralled in our conversation along with their co-workers who had arrived. My next words just came out without a thought.

"Family? You still call me that? I'm tired of being your clone Danny!" Out of the corner of my eyes I watched as the policemen's mouths dropped at that. "That's what got me kicked out of the Ghost Zone in the first place. And when I tried to make a life for myself here, whenever I went into my ghost form people said I was just copying you. Especially since I acted _so _much like you, how was I supposed to say I couldn't help it, I was your clone? Did you know there is no human clone alive besides me, and I'm half ghost! The tests they would do and I couldn't even use the human reason you do. So I stopped going into my ghost form. I may not have been able to change my appearance as a ghost, but I did as a human."

I looked down at my wardrobe. With skin tight jeans, a small white tank top, leather jacket and bleached blond hair (even with the black roots showing through I kept it up in a pony tail) . The only thing left similar between us was the light blue eyes, and even though I had considered it, it would be a pain to wear contacts to change that, and the eyes went with the hair.

"By the way, what does the bleach do to your hair as a ghost?" Of all things he could say, it was that.

"I don't know I haven't gone ghost since I started wearing it and I've been wearing it since I was thirteen." I replied coldly helping him to figure out it was the wrong thing to say at that point in time.

"So you'd rather steal – normally – than come for help from me?" Danny asked getting back on topic, the hurt clear in his voice. The tears which had stopped around the time when I stated people said I was just copying him, started once more, this time for a much different reason.

"I wanted to prove that I could do it," I realized as the tears slowly leaked out, not daring to look at him. He was obviously confused. I took a deep breath before explaining (my emotions seemed to change rather quickly, I found).

"When I was first kicked out onto the streets, after I figured out I was in the right time, I came to Amity Park. I saw you at school with your friends, your arm around that Goth girl you hang with. Then the Box Ghost came and everybody cheered as you easily defeated him. The Goth girl kissed you when you got back." I looked up at him and saw him most likely remembering that day, or ones similar to it.

"You had everybody you needed, you didn't need me. Plus, I didn't need you, to depend on you every little thing went wrong. You defeated that ghost so easily, weren't even worried about your friends being in danger. I was your clone, your copy, I could do that. I was just as strong as you. I could look after myself."

"So I left and never went back. A couple of months later I stopped going ghost, not too long after that I bleached my hair. Tried getting into school, but you apparently need parents for that, and I didn't want to gain ones, to become a foster child."

"I steal when I have to, so I can stay alive without going ghost or the help of others. This is the first time I have ever gotten caught."

The room was deadly silent after my explanation that turned into a rant somewhere in the middle. I was supposed to be like Danny, I was his clone after all, but he would never have succumbed to stealing if he'd had other options. Speaking of Danny, he was about to speak but I cut him off once more.

"Don't. I should never have called you." With that, for the first time in the longest while, I went ghost. Unfortunately, the bleach had done nothing to my silver hair, and I still looked the same as always, only more mature. As only being half ghost, our ghost half seemed to grow along with our humans. I still just looked like a girl ghost copying Danny Phantom.

I looked at Danny once more and the now transparent tears came to an end. I knew if ever I needed anything again, he would help. What I didn't know was whether or not I would go to him for it.

I wasn't stopped as I left, but I did hear him saying, "Don't tell anybody, not a soul." He would always look out for me, and that's what bugged me the most. As soon as he learned that I was capable for looking out for myself as well as he was, then maybe I could make amends.

For now it was back to the food problem, and that would be taken care of in my human form.

* * *

**Dani has always been an interest to me, and I thought she didn't get enough notice in the series (she should have at least had a line in PP)**

**I have many different ideas of what could happen to Dani. As she is Danny's clone, and he often seems to like to depend on others until the end, since Dani only has Danny to depend on, and lives a different life, she might not ever want to have to depend on him.**


End file.
